Tahlia McGrath, Australia’s vice-captain and go-to all-rounder, sees a packed run with South Australia as her ticket to shaking off the rust. Coming off seasons she calls underwhelming in the ODI World Cup and Women’s Big Bass League (WBBL) 11, she’s zeroing in on state cricket to build momentum before the epic India tour in February and March.
McGrath was out there for all seven World Cup games in India, but it was a quiet tournament at No. 7—55 runs, no wickets in her two goes with the ball. Australia fell to the hosts in the semis, and she’s under pressure to bounce back strong.
As Adelaide Strikers captain, she notched 98 runs over nine digs, but her team ended sixth. “I probably didn’t play as good a cricket as I would have liked over the World Cup and Big Bash,” McGrath said, cutting straight to the chase on her form dip.
She’s jumping into six straight Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) matches for South Australia before the India T20Is start February 15. State duties have sidelined her lately—just four games across four seasons, last one early in 2023-24. This stretch is her reset button.
That also means no 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) after three solid stints with UP Warriorz. At this career point, she’s selective. Her return juices up South Australia, sitting fourth with matches to claw back on the leaders.
“The stage I’m at in my career; it’s picking and choosing which tours I go on and probably prioritizing international cricket and spending a bit of time at home as well.
“It’s worked out really well that I get to play some games for South Australia. Exactly what I need right now is just to get out play for South Australia, hopefully spend some time in the middle, hopefully some overs under my belt.”
The all-rounder’s pumped for List A time—batting stints, overs bowled—to stack confidence. At 30, it’s prime prep for India’s multi-format series, flowing into a Test in Perth by March 9, West Indies tour, and England’s T20 World Cup on June 13.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
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